Just heard the wildest thing: Two brothers are coaching the two teams in the Super Bowl. Has anybody else heard about this?

Now here's something equally newsworthy, the musings and meditations on the world of sports.

? It's only two games into the regular season but the Vancouver Canucks' goaltending predicament has already taken on a life of its own.

It's a story if Cory Schneider starts. It's a story if Cory Schneider doesn't start. It's a story if Roberto Luongo starts. It's a story if Roberto Luongo doesn't start. It's a story if the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Florida Panthers or any team with a perceived goaltending need wins. It's a story if those teams lose.

This is a dangerous place for the Canucks to be. They can protest it's not a distraction. But sooner or later a story like this starts eating away at a team. They know something big is coming. They're waiting for that something big, and while they're waiting they lose their way. You see it on teams where the coach's job is in jeopardy. You see it on teams where a star player is dissatisfied. And, over the weekend, you started to see it on the Canucks.

Mike Gillis is in a tough spot with this one. As of this writing, there isn't much of a market for Luongo. That might change later in the season, but do you wait that long, knowing what it could do to your team? This trade isn't taking place in a vacuum. There are real costs associated with it, and waiting is a luxury the Canucks might not be able to afford.

? On a somewhat related subject, the Canucks' less-than-inspired performance over the weekend revealed a black hole at centre ice.

In their 2010-2011 playoff run, the Canucks' four centres - Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Manny Malholtra and Max Lapierre - struck the perfect balance between offence and defence, skill and grit.

Now they've got Andrew Ebbett, a marginal NHLer, centring a second line that looks to be incapable of scoring; Lapierre, who's never been a point producer, has moved up a spot to the third line; and Malholtra is struggling on the fourth line.

Sorry, you simply can't win on a consistent basis in the NHL with that kind of deployment, which means the return of Kesler might be a bigger issue for this team than the Luongo trade.

? One of the great questions to arise from Lockout III concerned the fan reaction in struggling NHL markets.

Let's see. On Saturday night, Florida drew 19,688 for Carolina; Tampa drew 19,704 for Washington; and Nashville had 17,113 for Columbus (!). On Sunday, Phoenix drew 17,363 for Chicago; and on Monday, the Islanders had 15,322 for Tampa, after basically selling out (16,270) on Saturday night against the Devils.

Yep, that showed the NHL. They'll think twice before they lock out the players again.

? Still, if you're waiting for sanity to return to the game, consider the following: Avalanche centre Ryan O'Reilly is about to turn 22, He's played three seasons in the NHL and, in 2011-2012, produced 55 points in 81 games.

O'Reilly is currently holding out. He reportedly wants $25 million over five years. Don't we all? The Avs have countered with five years and $17 million, or two years and $7 million. Imagine their nerve.

? Here was the maddening thing about watching the NFC title game. Seattle has a better team than either San Francisco or Atlanta. Take Baltimore in the Super Bowl. They're coming off road wins in Denver and New England. That's the stuff of champions.

? And finally, some time in 2009 your agent was having dinner with two Olympic athletes when the subject of Lance Armstrong came up. Both smirked at the mention of his name. Both reported he'd doped in each of his Tour de France wins and this was common knowledge in his sport.

Over three years later, the world now knows what everyone in cycling knew. But Armstrong's culpability isn't the issue here. It's how the culture of doping took root in cycling. How were the dopers allowed to take control of the sport, and how did the International Cycling Union let it happen?

The fallout from the Armstrong scandal is just starting. There's talk of a truth and reconciliation commission; there's talk UCI president Pat McQuaid will be forced to resign; there's talk cycling should be removed from the Olympics.

But, geez Louise, where was that talk 10 years ago - when it was going on right under the ICU's noses?

ewilles@theprovince.com twitter.com/willesonsports